Running While Female

“After I greeted a group of young men who were hanging out next to the running trail, one said to the rest, ‘Let’s gang rape her,’ as I ran past. The other boys laughed.” —Shannon, 30, Parker, Colorado

Part of being a runner is putting yourself out there. I know every time I enter a race or train for a race, I open myself up to failure. As someone who runs outside and in populated areas, I also open myself up to harassment as well. This is the theme of a recent Runner's World Podcast that I listened to on Sunday that made me incredibly sad.

All things political aside, many of us would like to believe that harassment happens to "other people" or that it is not as prevalent as the media may make it. While I personally have experienced very little harassment on a run, 43% of women interviewed by Runner's World reported they have. I have also seen this affect many strong women I know. One of my Oiselle teammates received negative feedback on her body during a run - her first run after having a baby. As a result, she was hesitant to run and lost her motivation. Other teammates have reported being chased off the road by men yelling obscene things and even worse, another friend was followed during her run. 

"This power play is present in the majority of unsolicited sexual attention, particularly when men are with other men, though not all men are conscious of it. “In a sex-biased culture, street harassment can become ingrained in male behavior,” says Shira Tarrant, Ph.D., a gender studies professor at California State University, Long Beach. Boys and teens model the behavior of the men in their lives, and if the adults objectify women or treat them with disrespect, the minors learn that it’s acceptable or even admirable."

Sometimes it is enough for a woman to say something back to the harasser, but unfortunately safety sometimes prohibits this. It is not worth it to speak up for yourself if you feel you might be in danger even though we should all have the right to tell someone that what they are saying is not OK. 

So what can we do about this? Women can be open and honest and share their stories, especially with the men in their lives. With more awarness of the issue, the chances of someone speaking up increases. That someone can be a male in any context, calling someone out for making comments that are inappropriate. This does not have to be in regards to just women, but for any inappropriate comments about a person. That is also why I am sharing this article and podcast in hopes of reaching many who may not realize that this happens and who will speak up. 

“I was running when I came up on a couple of dude-bros working out on the lawn near the path, flipping tires and such. As I ran by, one yelled, ‘Hey, I can show you a real workout!’and pointed down. I thought he was pointing at the tire, but then I realized he was pointing at his crotch.” —Amber Carr, 28, Kalkaska, Michigan